Continuous seal container assembly

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a container assembly for food and liquids. The container assembly has a lid and a base each of which has a series of prongs. The prongs of the base and lid interlock to form a continuous seal with high surface area and passages with many bends that together prevent air and bacteria from entering the container assembly and prevent food and liquids from leaking out of the container assembly. One or more of the lid prongs has a protrusion that fit into corresponding depressions between the base prongs to urge the rims together and create and maintain the seal. In a second embodiment, the outermost prong of the lid also has a protrusion attached to it which locks around the outermost base prong further urging the rims together and further creating and maintaining the seal.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to container assemblies for storing andtransporting food, and in particular to an improved structure and methodfor sealing between the base and lid of a container assembly for storingfood.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are various container assemblies currently used in the “take-out”food industry and in disposable storage containers for home use whichare capable of transporting and storing food for short periods of time.It is important that such container assemblies be sealed sufficiently toprevent leakage of the contents while in transport or storage and toprevent spoilage of the contents caused by the introduction of bacteriaor air.

Currently, there are various designs available for such purposes in thefood industry. Examples include the folded cardboard container assemblyused widely for take-out in Chinese restaurants and other restaurants,aluminum foil base and plastic or cardboard lid container assembliesalso used for take-out in restaurants and food stores, fold-over plasticcontainers (where the lid folds over the base) wherein there is a smallprotrusion in the lid portion that snaps into a small depression in thebase portion, and plastic bags that zip or seal together and are moreoften used in homes. All of these have deficiencies because they are notair-tight thus permitting air and bacteria to enter and cause spoilage,not leakproof, inconvenient to use, or inefficient for storage.

Container assemblies which consist of a separate base and lid made ofplastic typically have one to three seals along the rim of the base andlid. When it is a single seal, it often consists of a single U-shaped,V-shaped, or square protrusion that fits into a mirror image U, V ordepression, respectively in the lid (for example, Dais, et al., U.S.Pat. No. 6,789,393; Schultz, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,980; andTucker, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,170,696; 6,467,647; and 6,910,599).When there is more than one seal, they are each interior to the otheralong the mated rims of the lid and base. The seals have small surfaceareas to prevent the flow of food, liquids and/or air. It is believedthat the small surface area of the seals results in failure of the sealmore often than is acceptable. Also, when there is more than one seal,there is often a space between the sealing structures, as in Chen, U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,056,138 and 6,196,404. In that case, it is believed thatliquid may be able to leak through the innermost seal into a chamberbetween the sealing areas, and the liquid in that chamber can provide anindependent source of leakage. Therefore, with such double or tripleseal container assemblies, leakage can occur when one or more seals arebroken.

There is a need for a container assembly having a continuous, largesurface area seal along the rim of the base and lid which prevents foodleakage and spoilage. In addition, there is a need for a containerassembly which may be easily and readily assembled and disassembled. Inaddition, the container assembly must be of such quality such that it iscapable of storing foods for some length of time. Yet another desirablefeature is for a container assembly that may be easily and compactlystored.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a continuous seal container assembly having alarge surface area along the rim of the base and lid wherein thesurfaces mate together to essentially eliminate leakage. The rim of thelid is constructed with a plurality of prongs analogous to tines of afork, with the prongs fitting around mirror image prongs in the rim ofthe base. In this way there is both a large surface area of matedsurfaces in a short linear distance and the path of the mated surfacesis tortuous such that liquids that might otherwise begin to leak throughthe mating surfaces are impeded from reaching the outer edge of thecontainer assembly. Furthermore, at least one of the prongs in the lidrim has a protrusion that fits into a mirror image depression in thebase rim to urge the two surfaces together and hold them in place. In asecond embodiment, the outermost prong along the edge of the lid rimalso has a protrusion that fits around the outer edge of the base rimfurther urging the mating surfaces together and locking the lid and basetogether. These prongs and protrusions in the rim of the lid whendimensioned to fit against or around the corresponding prongs anddepressions in the rim of the base form a large surface area of matedsurfaces which act as a defense against food leakage out of thecontainer assembly and a defense against the entry of contaminants intothe container assembly. Because the mating of the surfaces is a frictionfit, the lid can easily be sealed on the base, subsequently pulled off,and resealed with minimal force to permit easy and convenient multipleuses.

Finally, the container assemblies of the present invention are same sizestackable, with one base fitting into the base of the next containerassembly, and the lids acting in the same fashion. These featuresdramatically reduce the storage space required to store said containerassemblies with lid and base separated before they are used. Thecontainer assemblies are also stackable one on top of the other when inthe fully assembled position as well. The present invention is,therefore, a safe, easy to use container assembly that can be used inthe food preparation and distribution industries and in the privatehome.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a detailed understanding of the present invention, reference shouldbe made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a base of a container assembly,consistent with an embodiment of the present invention, viewed fromabove;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base of FIG. 1 viewed from below;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lid of a container assembly,consistent with an embodiment of the present invention, viewed fromabove;

FIG. 4 is perspective view of the lid of FIG. 3 viewed from below;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the base of FIG. 1 and the lid of FIG. 3showing how they fit together;

FIG. 6 is a side, half-section view of the lid of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a side, half-section view of the base of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a side, half-section view of the base of FIG. 1 and the lid ofFIG. 3 separated, but showing how they mate together;

FIG. 9 is a side, half-section view of the base of FIG. 1 and the lid ofFIG. 3 mated together;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side, half-section view of the rim of the lid ofFIG. 3 for the first embodiment;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged side, half-section view of the rim of the base ofFIG. 3 for the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged side, half-section view of the rim of the lid ofFIG. 3 for a second embodiment;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged side, half-section view of the rim of the base ofFIG. 1 for the second embodiment;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, side, half-section view of the rim of the baseof FIG. 1 and of the lid of FIG. 3 for the first embodiment with thebase and lid separated, but showing how they mate together;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged, side, half-section view of the rim of the baseof FIG. 1 and the lid of FIG. 3 for the first embodiment mated together;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged, side, half-section view of the rim of the baseof FIG. 1 and the lid of FIG. 3 for the second embodiment separated, butshowing how they mate together; and,

FIG. 17 is an enlarged, side, half-section view of the rim of the baseof FIG. 1 and the lid of FIG. 3 for the second embodiment matedtogether.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of the invention follows below. Like referencenumbers in subsequent figures have the same meaning. As will bedescribed in the figures, the rim of the lid is constructed with aplurality of prongs analogous to tines of a fork, with the prongsfitting around mirror image prongs in the rim of the base. In this waythere is both a large surface area of mated surfaces in a short lineardistance and the path of the mated surfaces is tortuous such thatliquids that might otherwise begin to leak through the mating surfacesare impeded from reaching the outer edge of the container assembly.Furthermore, at least one of the prongs in the lid rim has a protrusionthat fits into a mirror image depression in the base rim to urge the twosurfaces together and hold them in place. In a second embodiment, theoutermost prong along the rim of the lid also has a protrusion that fitsaround the outer edge of the rim of the base further urging the matingsurfaces together and locking the lid and base together. In a secondaryfeature of the invention, the container assemblies of the presentinvention are same size stackable, with one base fitting into the baseof the next container assembly, and the lids acting in the same fashion.The container assemblies are also stackable one on top of the other whenin the fully assembled position as well.

Turning now to the figures. Base 100 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG.1, base 100 is viewed from the top. In FIG. 2, base 100 is viewed fromthe bottom. Detailed descriptions of the structure of the rim are setout in the enlarged views of the rim of the base, described below inFIGS. 11 and 13-17.

Lid 101 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG. 3, lid 101 is viewed from thetop. In FIG. 4, lid 101 is viewed from the bottom. Detailed descriptionsof the structure of the rim are set out in the enlarged views of the rimof the lid, described below in FIGS. 10, 12, and 14-17.

FIG. 5 shows base 100 and lid 101 viewed from the top. Base 100 and lid101 are separated in FIG. 5, and the dotted lines show how base 100 andlid 101 fit together when they are mated to effect sealing.

FIG. 6 shows lid 101 in a side, half-section view. The shaded portionsare in the plane of the paper. The unshaded portions are the perspectiveview of the structures as they wrap around into the dimensionperpendicular to the paper. The rim 102 of lid 101 is discussed in moredetail in enlarged views, below, in FIGS. 10, 12, and 14-17. Side 103can be essentially vertical, but is ideally slanted slightly inward fromlid rim 102 to lid top member 112 so the lids 101 can be stacked forefficient storage before a container assembly is put into use. Lid 101also has depression 110 which goes around the circumference of lid 101and can therefore be seen in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9 in two places at the topof lid 101. Top member 112 of lid 101 is flat or slightly bowed into theinterior of lid 101 (i.e., downward as drawn in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9).

FIG. 7 shows base 100 in a side, half-section view. The shaded portionsare in the plane of the paper. The unshaded portions are the perspectiveview of the structures as they wrap around into the dimensionperpendicular to the paper. The rim 105 of base 100 is discussed in moredetail in enlarged views, below, in FIGS. 11 and 13-17. Side 106 can beessentially vertical but ideally is slanted slightly inward from baserim 105 to base bottom member 113 so the bases 100 can be stacked forefficient storage before a container assembly is put into use. Base 100also has protrusion 108 which goes around the circumference of base 100and can therefore be seen in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 in two places at thebottom of base 100. Bottom member 113 of base 100 is flat or curvedslightly into the interior of base 100 (i.e., upward as drawn in FIGS.7, 8 and 9).

FIGS. 8 and 9 show base 100 and lid 101 together in side, half-sectionviews. In FIG. 8, base 100 and lid 101 are separated. The dotted linesshow how base 100 and lid 101 fit together. In FIG. 9, base 100 and lid101 are mated together to effect storage. The distance between the outeredges of protrusion 108 of base 100 is slightly less than the distancebetween the inner edges of depression 110 of lid 101. In this way, anumber of closed container assemblies can also be stacked.

It should be noted that FIGS. 1 through 8 are drawn to show a circularshape for base 100, lid 101, and therefore the container assembly takenas a whole. However, any reasonable shape can be utilized, for examplecircular, oval, square, or rectangular, without changing the meaning orfunction of any of the structures described herein or claimed below.

The principal features of the invention are shown in FIGS. 10-17. Thefirst embodiment is shown in FIGS. 10, 11, 14 and 15. A secondembodiment is shown in FIGS. 12, 13, 16 and 17. FIG. 10 shows anenlarged side, half-cut view of rim 102 of lid 101. As shown, there arethree prongs. The prong represented by reference number 120 is attacheddirectly and vertically to lid 101. A second prong, represented byreference number 122 is the outermost part of the structure. A thirdprong, represented by reference number 123 has a protrusion, 124,attached to the prong. Although three prongs are shown (referencenumbers 120, 122, and 123), wherein one prong 123 contains theprotrusion 124, any number of prongs can be utilized, with any number ofthe inner prongs having the protrusion 124 attached to that prong.

FIG. 11 shows an enlarged, side, half-cut view of rim 105 of base 100.In FIG. 11, there is one less prong, 130 and 136, then there are prongsin the rim of lid 101. The space 131 that is between prongs 130 and 136and is opposite prong 123 of FIG. 10 has a depression 132 into whichprotrusion 124 of FIG. 10 fits so the two rims 102 and 105 can besnapped together and hold. Clearly, the length of side 120 of FIG. 10must be the same length as side 134 of prong 130, while the length 133of prong 136 and the length 137 of prong 130 in FIG. 11 must be the samelength as prong 123 in FIG. 10, and the length of prong 122 of FIG. 10must be the same as the length of prong 135 of FIG. 11. Also, the lengthof prongs 130 and 136 must be the same as the lengths of spaces 129 and128 between the prongs in FIG. 10. In FIG. 11, although two prongs areshown (reference numbers 130 and 136) any number of prongs can beutilized, as long as they are one less than the number of prongs in thelid of FIG. 10. Furthermore, any number of the prongs can have spaces131 with depressions 132 at the end of sides 132 and 133 wherein thedepressions mate with the protrusion 124 of FIG. 10 as long as there arethe same number of space and depression structures in FIG. 11 as thereare inner prong and protrusion structures as in FIG. 10.

The second embodiment is seen in FIGS. 12 and 13. The additionalstructure of this second embodiment is the protrusion 127 attached tothe outermost prong 122. Clearly, the length of prong 120 must be atleast as great as the length of prong 135 of FIG. 13. Protrusion 127 canthen snap around prong 136, urging the rim of the lid and the rim of thebase together and further contributing to sealing of the lid and basetogether. All other reference numbers in FIGS. 12 and 13 are the same asthe reference numbers in FIGS. 10 and 11 and have the same meaning.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show enlarged, side, half-section views of the rims ofthe base and lid for the first embodiment. The additional teaching inFIGS. 14 and 15 relative to FIGS. 10 and 11 is seen in the shading andillustration of how the rim of the lid and rim of the base fit together.With respect to the shading, the shaded portions are in the plane of thepaper. The unshaded portions are the perspective view of the structuresas they wrap around into the dimension perpendicular to the paper. InFIG. 14, the dotted lines show how lid 101 and base 100 fit togetherwhen they are mated to effect sealing, more specifically how the rim ofthe lid 102 and the rim of the base 105 fit together. In FIG. 15, thelid 101 and the base 100, more specifically the rim of the lid 102 andthe rim of the base 105 are mated together. In FIG. 14, the referencenumbers and their meaning are the same as in FIGS. 10 and 11. Thereference numbers have been omitted in FIG. 15, but they can be seen inFIGS. 10, 11 and 14.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show enlarged, side, half-section views of the rims ofthe base and lid for the second embodiment. The additional teaching inFIGS. 16 and 17 relative to FIGS. 12 and 13 is seen in the shading andillustration of how the rim of the lid and rim of the base fit together.With respect to the shading, the shaded portions are in the plane of thepaper. The unshaded portions are the perspective view of the structuresas they wrap around into the dimension perpendicular to the paper. InFIG. 16, the dotted lines show how lid 101 and base 100 fit togetherwhen they are mated to effect sealing, more specifically how the rim ofthe lid 102 and the rim of the base 105 fit together. In FIG. 17, thelid 101 and the base 100, more specifically the rim of the lid 102 andthe rim of the base 105 are mated together. In FIG. 16, the referencenumbers and their meaning are the same as in FIGS. 12 and 13. Thereference numbers have been omitted in FIG. 17, but they can be seen inFIGS. 12, 13 and 16.

In FIGS. 10-17, with the exception of the protrusions 124 and 127 andthe depression 123, the prongs and spaces of the base and lid rimstructures are shown as essentially rectangular, that is, with allangles essentially being right angles. The essence of the invention isnot dependent on shape. Any reasonable geometric shapes, including butnot limited to U-shapes and V-shapes, can be used. Furthermore, theinternal protrusion has been described as being attached to the lid rimand the corresponding depression has been described as being part of thebase rim. The reverse locking system can also be used. The onlyrequirements are that the lid rim structure and base rim structure matchexactly so that there are no spaces along the mated rims, and that therebe a sufficient number of turns in the path between the mated rimsurfaces such that flow is sufficiently impeded. That is, the onlyrequirements are that the prongs of the lid rim match the spaces of thebase rim, the prongs of the base rim match the spaces of the lid rim,the internal protrusions of the lid rim match the internal depressionsof the base rim (or the reverse if that is the design utilized), theexternal protrusion of the lid rim in the second embodiment be sized tolock exactly around the outermost prong of the outermost base rim prong,and that there be a multiplicity of prongs—no fewer than three in thelid rim and correspondingly no fewer than two in the base rim.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form,and details, may be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

1. A container assembly comprising: a base having a substantially planarbottom, a base perimeter wall extending upward from said bottom, and abase rim extending outward from said base perimeter wall; a lid having asubstantially planar top, a lid perimeter wall extending downward fromsaid top, and a lid rim extending outward from said lid perimeter wall;wherein said lid rim has at least three prongs extending verticallydownward wherein the innermost prong is attached to the lid rim andextends vertically upward and wherein at least one interior prong has aprotrusion attached to said at least one interior prong; wherein saidbase rim has at least two prongs extending vertically upward wherein theinnermost prong is attached to the base rim and extends verticallyupward and wherein at least one space between the prongs has adepression to receive the protrusion of said at least one interior prongof said lid rim; wherein said lid rim prongs and said base rim prongsare sized and shaped to mate together; and wherein the mating of saidprotrusion of said at one least one inner prong of said lid rim and saiddepressions in said at least one space between said prongs of said baserim urges said lid rim and said base rim together to seal said containerassembly.
 2. The base according to claim 1 wherein said base contains aprotrusion along the outer perimeter of said substantially planar bottomof said base.
 3. The base according to claim 1 wherein said baseperimeter wall is inclined from the vertical, slanting outward from saidsubstantially planar bottom toward said base rim.
 4. The base accordingto claim 1 wherein said substantially planar bottom is curved inward. 5.The lid according to claim 1 wherein said lid contains a depressionalong the outer perimeter of the substantially planar top of said lid.6. The lid according to claim 1 wherein said lid perimeter wall isinclined from the vertical, slanting outward from said substantiallyplanar top toward said lid rim.
 7. The lid according to claim 1 whereinsaid substantially planar top is curved inward.
 8. A container assemblycomprising: a base having a substantially planar bottom, a baseperimeter wall extending upward from said bottom and a base rimextending outward from said base perimeter wall; a lid having asubstantially planar top, a lid perimeter wall extending downward fromsaid top and a lid rim extending outward from said lid perimeter wall;wherein said lid rim has at least three prongs extending verticallydownward, wherein the innermost prong is attached to the lid rim andextends vertically upward, wherein at least one interior prong has aprotrusion attached to said at least one interior prong, and wherein theoutermost prong has a protrusion attached to said outermost prong;wherein said base rim has at least two prongs extending verticallyupward wherein the innermost prong is attached to the base rim andextends vertically upward and wherein at least one space between theprongs has a depression to receive the protrusion of said at least oneinner prong of said lid rim; wherein said lid rim prongs and said baserim prongs are sized and shaped to mate together; wherein the mating ofsaid protrusion of said at one least one interior prong of said lid rimand said depression in said space between said prongs of said base rimurges said lid rim and said base rim together to seal said containerassembly; and wherein said protrusion of said outer prong of said lidrim fits around the outermost prong of said base rim further urging saidlid rim and said base rim together and further sealing said containerassembly.
 9. The base according to claim 8 wherein said base contains aprotrusion along the outer perimeter of said substantially planar bottomof said base.
 10. The base according to claim 8 wherein said baseperimeter wall is inclined from the vertical, slanting outward from saidsubstantially planar bottom toward said base rim.
 11. The base accordingto claim 8 wherein said substantially planar bottom is curved inward.12. The lid according to claim 8 wherein said lid contains a depressionalong the outer perimeter of the substantially planar top of said lid.13. The lid according to claim 8 wherein said lid perimeter wall isinclined from the vertical, slanting outward from said substantiallyplanar top toward said lid rim.
 14. The lid according to claim 8 whereinsaid substantially planar top is curved inward.
 15. A method for sealingfoods and liquids in a container assembly comprising: placing a food orliquid into a base wherein said base comprises a substantially planarbottom, a base perimeter wall extending substantially vertically upwardfrom said bottom and a base rim extending outward from said baseperimeter wall; said base rim has at least two prongs wherein theinnermost prong is attached to the base rim and extends verticallyupward and wherein the space between the prongs has a depression toreceive a protrusion of an interior prong of a lid rim; covering saidbase with a lid having a substantially planar top, a lid perimeter wallextending vertically downward from said top and said lid rim extendingoutward from said lid perimeter wall; wherein said lid rim has at leastthree prongs extending vertically downward, wherein the innermost prongis attached to said lid rim and extends vertically upward, and whereinsaid at least one inner prong has a protrusion attached to said at leastone inner prong; wherein said lid rim prongs and said base rim prongsare sized and shaped to mate together; and wherein the mating of saidprotrusion of said at one least one interior prong of said lid rim andsaid depression in said space between said prongs of said base rim urgessaid lid rim and said base rim together to seal said food or liquidinside said container assembly.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein saidoutermost prong of said lid rim further has a protrusion attached tosaid outermost prong; and wherein said protrusion of said outermostprong of said lid rim fits around said outermost prong of said base rimfurther urging said lid rim and said base rim together and furthersealing food or liquid inside said container assembly.
 17. The method ofclaim 15 wherein said base contains a protrusion along the outerperimeter of said substantially planar bottom of said base, wherein saidbase perimeter wall is inclined from the vertical, slanting outward fromsaid substantially planar bottom toward said base rim, and wherein saidsubstantially planar bottom is curved inward.
 18. The method of claim 15wherein said lid contains a depression along the outer perimeter of thesubstantially planar top of said lid, wherein said lid perimeter wall isinclined from the vertical, slanting outward from said substantiallyplanar top toward said lid rim, and wherein said substantially planartop is curved inward.